Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Things Happen - Blueberry "Loaf" #recipe + books #giveaway

From Daryl:

Things happen. Often things slip away from us. We thought we had a guest for today and it turns out, mixed signals! We don't.

BUT WE DO HAVE A BOOKS GIVEAWAY.  Yes, books.  Two of Krista's books plus 2 of my  books to one commenter.  See below.


I adore blueberries. I also adore brown sugar! I love it added to coffee cake and anything banana. So I recently added brown sugar to my cereal and adorned it with blueberries. Voila. Something new, different, and filled with things I love.

I also adore blueberry muffins. You can see where this is going. I've shared a recipe for gluten-free muffins made with pure cane sugar before. For a change, I added brown sugar to the mix and rather than make the semi-time-consuming muffins, I poured the whole mix into a loaf pan.

When I'm on deadline, easy is important. Mix and dump is important. Faster, faster is important. So I have more time to write.

So here is an easy, fast, blueberry loaf that turned out deliciously moist!

*This is a gluten-free recipe, but it's easy to make it regular. Just switch out the GF flour for regular and omit the xanthan gum.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Loaf
Gluten-free but can be made "normal"

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

½ cup plus 2 T. milk
½ cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature (I melt it in microwave)
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract (vanillin is okay)
2 ½ cups blueberries 
2 teaspoons GF baking powder
½ teaspoon Xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup sweet white rice flour
1 tablespoon whey powder


Directions:

Mix the milk, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.

Mash 1 cup of the blueberries. Add the berries and the GF baking powder to the mix.

Stir together the gluten-free flours, xanthan gum, whey powder, and salt. Add the flour to the egg mixture.

Add 1 ½ cup MORE blueberries, whole (not mashed). Fold together.

Pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake 45 minutes



Book Giveaway

Things happen. Do you ever miss an appointment? 
A date? A birthday?
Leave a comment to win 2 of Krista's books and 2 of my books, 
And remember to leave your email so we can contact 
you if you win. 






Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Blueberry Coffee Cake with Drizzle from author @DarylWoodGerber



From Daryl:

I'm on my way to a conference in Reno. Left Coast Crime. I'll be networking with other authors and meeting all sorts of new readers. Fun times ahead. I'm even going to give myself a day in Lake Tahoe before, so I can do some research and some deep breathing. There's nothing like Lake Tahoe to stir my soul and help me find my center.


Before I go on a trip, I like to make a few baked goods that I can carry with me. I really like a mid-morning snack, and because I have to eat gluten-free, I can't always count on the hotel or nearby grocery stores to have what I need. Besides, home-baked is better!

For this trip's baked goodie, I bought blueberries on special and decided to make a bundt cake that I'd made before, but with modifications. I added whey powder. I really like using the whey powder when I bake gluten-free. IMHO, it keeps gluten-free items more moist. If you don't have it, it's okay to omit it. I also increased the baking powder ratio. Definitely helped the cake rise. Gluten-free cakes have a tendency to be dense. 

Also, I ran "short" on the sour cream. I was 2 tablespoons short, so I improvised. 

(Man, I'm getting good at improvising  if I do say so myself.)

I added 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese, but the batter seemed a little “stiff,” so I then added 2 tablespoons milk.  If your batter seems stiff, add the milk. This tweaked version turned out better than before! I'm very pleased with it.

For those of you who CAN eat regular flour, substitute out the gluten-free flour with regular flour and omit the xanthan gum. (That's a binder for gluten-free flour.) 


BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE
(gluten-free)

(serves 12)

Ingredients for Cake:

3/4cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups gluten-free flour
2 tablespoons whey powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Ingredients for Filling:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour (or gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries

Ingredients for Glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, two at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine gluten-free flour, whey powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the sugar mixture, alternating with the sour cream. The mixture will be somewhat dry; this is not a runny batter. That’s okay.

In another small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour (or gluten-free flour) and cinnamon.

Spoon a third of the batter into a greased bundt pan. Top with half of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle half of the bluberries on top. Repeat. Top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 55 mInutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. Let cake cook completely before drizzling the glaze over the cake.









Definitely got the remainder of the brown sugar in second layer.








Savor the mystery!



Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Plus check out my website.




PRESSING THE ISSUE, the 6th Cookbook Nook Mystery.

The annual Renaissance Fair serves up a helping of crafty courtiers, 
damsels in distress, and medieval murder . . .
Click here to order.


A DEADLY ÉCLAIR, the 1st in the French Bistro Mysteries.
Can Mimi clear her name before the killer turns up the heat?
Click here to order.

FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery is out!
Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!
Click to order.

GIRL ON THE RUN, a stand-alone suspense.
When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free?
Click to order

DAY OF SECRETS, a stand-alone suspense
A mother he thought was dead. A father he never knew.
An enemy that wants them dead.
Click here to order



Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Gluten-free Ginger Muffins + book #giveaway from author @DarylWoodGerber



From Daryl:


Giveaway and cover reveal below!

After making curry last week, I had an extra chunk of ginger left over. I hate having something in my refrigerator that I "know" I can use, but have no idea what to make. Plus there's a "ginger cat" in my Cookbook Nook Mysteries, so I simply had to honor Tigger in some way, right?

I went searching online for a recipe for ginger muffins. I love muffins. I found one recipe, but it made a huge amount of muffins.  It also included buttermilk, and I didn't have that. And it used regular flour.

What's a girl to do?

Tweak! (If I were into tattoos, I might have this tattooed on my ankle!  LOL)

I cut the recipe in half and used a lot of lemon juice to flavor these little gems. Warm out of the oven? Heaven!

Yes, I made them gluten-free, but if you can eat regular flour, just substitute the gluten-free flour with regular and omit the xanthan gum. You can probably omit the whey powder, too. However, TIP: I use that to keep my gluten-free baked items from drying out too fast.

The lemon zest and lemon juice give these muffins a nice kick.

The recipe says to keep the skin on the ginger. Really? Yep. That's the way it was done. It adds to the flavor! Having a food processor really helps. I'm not sure these would taste the same if the ginger was simply "hand-chopped."  But if you don't have a processor, give it a go.

Enjoy.


Gluten-free Ginger Muffins
(makes 8)


A 1-ounce piece unpeeled ginger root
9 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest with some pith
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 7 tablespoons milk (= ½ cup)
1 cup gluten-free flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 tablespoon whey powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grease or line 8 muffin pans.
If you have a food processor, cut the ginger into cubes, and then process the ginger until it is in tiny pieces. Or, hand-chop it into fine pieces. You should have about 2 tablespoons. It is better to have too much ginger than too little.

Put the ginger and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small skillet and cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture is hot. Do not walk away - the sugar will melt quite quickly. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.

Grate the lemon zest into the food processor. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and process together. Add the zest mixture to the cooling ginger mixture and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter slightly, then add the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and beat until smooth. Add the egg and the 1/2 cup lemon-milk mixture and mix until blended.

Add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, whey powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and beat until smooth. Add the cooled lemon-ginger mixture and mix well.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups so that each cup is about 3/4 full.

If desired, sprinkle with a dusting of granulated sugar.

Bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.










So moist!!

COVER REVEAL!

On February 20, the 6th Cookbook Nook Mystery comes out.   Yay!!!

Welcome to Crystal Cove, where the annual Renaissance Fair serves up a helping of crafty courtiers, damsels in distress, and medieval murder . . .

As the annual Renaissance Fair comes to Crystal Cove, Jenna Hart’s Cookbook Nook is packed with tasty treats and all things medieval, while her pal Bailey is ready to swoon over her upcoming nuptials at a local vineyard. But when the two friends discover the body of the vineyard’s owner bludgeoned by a wine press, all their merriment fades, along with their hopes for a vintage year.


Which churlish varlet did the deed? Was it the victim’s errant brother, who stood to inherit the vineyards? Or the owner’s crestfallen ex-girlfriend? Mayhap it was the newly arrived lusty wench, or her jealous husband. Fie on them all! Verily, Jenna can’t rest until justice is served, and she vows to track down the killer. But can she sniff out the truth before the villainous culprit strikes again? 

                                                   *

Yes, that's Tigger in the Robin Hood hat. He's not pleased!  LOL  The book will come out in e-book and print on demand. You can preorder the e-book now. You have to wait until the day of release for the paperback. I promise I'll remind you. ORDER NOW



GIVEAWAY

To celebrate, I'm giving away to one commenter her choice of any of the first 5 titles in the series.  Tell me what you think the title for book 7 should be. It needs to have a foodie type word and a bookish type word in it. It's set around Christmas. Ready, set, go!  (It's not easy; I must warn you.) If you don't have any ideas, tell me what Christmas theme you think I should focus on. I'll announce the winner Saturday.




Savor the mystery!

*
Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Plus check out my website.

A DEADLY Ã‰CLAIR, the 1st in the French Bistro Mysteries, is coming November 2017. Can Mimi clear her name before the killer turns up the heat? Click here to order.




GRILLING THE SUBJECT, the 5th Cookbook Nook Mystery, is out!
The Wild West Extravaganza has come to Crystal Cove.
Click here to order.





FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, 
the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery is out!
Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!
Click to order.


GIRL ON THE RUN a stand-alone suspense
When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, 
Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free? 
Click to order




DAY OF SECRET 
my new stand-alone suspense
A mother he thought was dead. A father he never knew. 
An enemy that wants them dead.
Click here to order.